Tokyo, May 08, 2012
Fujitsu today announced the development of PLEMIA Global Edition, a new series from the PLEMIA family of technology-data management systems targeted to manufacturing customers pursuing global expansion of their business operations. The series will be available from November 2012.
In addition to featuring new product planning capabilities, the new series incorporates a host of substantially enhanced global support features. In particular, it includes functionality that enables development facilities in many different geographic regions to share relevant information and coordinate on development projects. In addition, it facilitates the formulation of effective development and production plans by leveraging a company's facilities across multiple countries. This, in turn, helps to strengthen decentralized development and production preparation capabilities. Moreover, through Fujitsu's PLEMIA Technology Data HUB platform solution, the new system can be linked to existing PLEMIA M3 solutions or other existing systems, thereby allowing customers to gradually carry out system migrations and feature upgrades, while providing global support and minimizing ICT spending.
For many manufacturers, implementing a global support structure often requires major revisions and upgrades to existing technology-data management systems in order to accommodate a business environment in which development facilities, production centers and customers are located in different countries throughout the world. As a result, the burden of large ICT expenses associated with these changes has become an issue for many companies.
In light of this, Fujitsu has developed and plans to market PLEMIA Global Edition, a solution for gradually globalizing a company's technology-data management systems.
Features of PLEMIA Global Edition
PLEMIA Global Edition brings together Fujitsu's PLEMIA Technology Data HUB platform solution and feature enhancements in the areas of product planning, decentralized development and production preparation. Employing SOA architecture, it can be flexibly combined with various other solutions.
1. Product planning functionality assists in developing strategic products that directly contribute to sales
The system includes requirement management capabilities for inputting and organizing the needs of customers in various countries. The system's portfolio analysis, technical compatibility analysis and other features enable a company to tag and prioritize product features and in-house technologies that meet certain requirements. As a result, customer's product planning departments have an easier time designing products that reflect customer needs and directly contribute to sales.
2. Enhanced decentralized development features enable a collaborative development process that incorporates facilities across multiple countries
Using the system, designers can decide to disclose design-related data to designated departments whenever necessary. Moreover, staff from other departments can contribute purchasing and other information at any given time. As a result, even amid a development environment that has become decentralized due to M&A, emergency-prevention measures or cost-competitiveness reasons, companies can develop products while sharing and coordinating relevant information.
Based on the mechanical, electronic and software interactions defined during upstream design, the new system can clarify how extensive the impact of change requests will be for feature improvements and bug fixes during post-production. This, in turn, allows companies to efficiently specify the scope of impact changes across mechanical, electronics and software departments.
3. Enhanced production preparation features make it possible to leverage production center data from multiple countries to effectively design high-quality products
By sharing data with Fujitsu's "VPS/MFG" 3D virtual verification simulation tool and "GP4" production-line simulator, the system can centrally manage production preparation and bill of materials . This allows design departments to accurately ascertain the status of facilities and parts at all production centers, thereby making it possible to formulate effective production plans. Information about problems detected at production centers can also be immediately shared among design departments and other related divisions, which helps facilitate the implementation of measures for improving product quality.
4. PLEMIA Technology Data HUB enables flexible system scaling using existing assets
PLEMIA Technology Data HUB employs SOA architecture, enabling data to be shared with the customer's existing technology-data systems. Through PLEMIA Technology Data HUB's data sharing capabilities, customers can gain access to standardized interfaces based on Fujitsu's know-how. In addition, the system can minimize ICT expenses during the development of peripheral systems, carry out gradual system migrations and feature upgrades and provide global support.
Details of the new software product will be presented at Fujitsu Forum 2012, to be held on Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18 at the Tokyo International Forum in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
